Fair play always in fashion : consumers’ awareness and working conditions of women in sporting goods industry

2007, 30 p. (pdf)

, by KARAT Coalition

KARAT Coalition presents a report "Fair play – always in fashion" on sportswear in Poland. On who, where and in what conditions produces it, and who and why buys it. The report portrays Polish manufacturers, workers, consumers and the relationships among all these groups.

The authors are trying to show how the existence of Polish producers is contingent on the trends in the global clothing industry, how the situation of Polish seamstresses depends on the working conditions in Asian factories and, finally, how much can be changed by consumers who make informed purchase decisions and demand that clothing is produced with the noble sporting ‘fair play’ principle observed also on the work floor with respect to workers employed in sportswear manufacturing.

The "Fair play – always in fashion" report is a result of an analysis of available data and publications as well as interviews with producers, workers and consumers, unionists and sportswear market specialists.

KARAT did its research in Poland but we have tried to keep the international context in mind, taking into account the issues of globalization (transferring production to Asian countries), development (working standards in developing countries), Corporate Social Responsibility (efficiency of its implementation in sporting goods manufacturing) and consumer awareness (its presence and development in Poland). We have been particularly interested in the impact all these phenomena have on working conditions in sportswear manufacturing where mainly women are employed.

http://www.womenslabour.org/fairpla...